Tanner Belschner does most things any other ordinary 12-year-old does on a weekly basis.

He plays Little League baseball. He wrestles. He plays football. He even plays tennis and golf. He chats with his buddies via text messaging, too.

But this seventh-grader at Bay View Middle School has a fast-paced hobby he enjoys during the summer months.

Tanner races a junior winged kart Friday nights at Hi-Go Raceway in Cecil, and Tuesday nights in a pro division kart at the Kids Kart Club in Oshkosh. Both are dirt tracks.

Tanner's dad, Paul, accompanies him to all the races, as does his mother and grandfather.

"It's really neat to have my family working on this stuff with me," Tanner said. "It's pretty cool."

Paul had what he described as a "short" career in a super late model at Wisconsin International Raceway and at Norway (Mich.) Speedway in the early 1990s.

"We didn't have this kart stuff when I was growing up," Paul said. "I was a college kid trying to race on a very tight budget. But for us, the family part is what it's all about.

"It's different than baseball or football, where you're basically just a parent in the bleachers. Here we solve problems together. We work together to decide upon changing sprockets, gear ratios, tires pressures, that sort of stuff.

"That ride back and forth — the windshield time — you can't replace that time with you kids."

Tanner is in his fifth year racing at Oshkosh, and third year at Hi-Go. Tanner plays second base in baseball and wide receiver in football.

"But of all the sports I do, the one that maybe translates the most to racing is probably tennis," Tanner said. "It improves your reaction time, I think. If there is a crash in front of you, you can avoid it more quickly."

While the winged kart Tanner races at Hi-Go is that track's fastest class, Paul says racing a kart now never has been more affordable.

"We sold one of our used karts for $200 over the winter," he said. "There's no reason a dad can't afford to go racing with their kid. They spent a small amount on some parts to get it up and running.

"The beginning classes of karts we ran the same tires for three years. They run with a basic Briggs & Stratton 5-horsepower motor. That's pretty affordable racing in my book."

Tanner uses a GoPro camera to record his races.

"I watch them and I can see what the kart's doing and really learn what the kart is doing," Tanner said. "It's a pretty good tool."

As far as the future goes for Tanner's racing career — racing a full-sized car — it's up in the air.

"I really don't know yet. It's a possibility," he said. "We've got to see how this season and the next one go."

For Paul, he's just happy to make good family time with his son.

"That and we've really built some good relationships over the years with other teams," Paul said. "For us, it's almost a two-hour two from the town of Hobart down to Oshkosh, but it's well worth it."

Area news and notes

LaCrosse takes second: Benji LaCrosse of Green Bay finished second to Iowa's Troy Cordes on Thursday in the $10,000-to-win Aftermarket Nationals for IMCA modifieds at Farley (Iowa) Speedway. Kyle Kudick of Two Rivers finished fifth and Mike Mullen of Seymour was 10th.

Shawano notebook: Shawano Speedway will host its annual "Racing for a Reason" childhood cancer awareness event Saturday. Dozens of items will be raffled off behind the grandstand. Racing begins at 6:30 p.m. ... Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., has committed to competing in the the World of Outlaws late model special July 29. Moyer won the event in 2010. IMCA modifieds and sportmods will join the WoO that night.

Manitowoc notebook: After not hosting racing during the July 4 weekend, racing resumes at Manitowoc County Expo Speedway on Friday night. Green Bay late model rookie Eric Van Iten sits fourth in the point standings, 21 points behind point leader Tim Buhler of Glenbeulah. Racing begins at 7 p.m.

Oshkosh off: There will be no weekly racing at Oshkosh Speedzone on Friday. Weekly Friday night racing will resume on July 18. Spectator eliminators will be an added attraction to the regular program, which begins at 7 p.m.

Norway update: Round II of the Auto Value Late Model Challenge Series will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Norway (Mich.) Speedway's 1/3-mile paved oval. The raindate is Saturday. The event will be highlighted by a 50-lap super late model feature. Joining the SLM will be the UPIR mini-sprints and Wisconsin sport trucks that compete weekly at Wisconsin International Raceway in Kaukauna.

Joe Verdegan is a freelance writer who covers area racing for Press-Gazette Media. Email him at jverdegan2@new.rr.com.